Pharmacy is an integral part of the medical field as it facilitates the patients to receive necessary medication for their treatment. The pharmacy helps in providing all medical treatment and products to the patients with ease and also saves them from various fatal diseases. It also provides the patients with information about different health related problems and also provides pharmacy technician training. The pharmacy technicians also educate the patients on how to use different medicines and prevent various diseases and their symptoms.
As far as the education and training programs are concerned, there are several pharmacy technicians colleges and institutions. The main goal of any pharmacy technician program or college is to provide high quality education and training to the pharmacy technicians and help them in finding employment easily after completion of the course. Pharmacy colleges and institutions also provide pharmacy technician certification programs to those students who have cleared the pharmacy technician examination and wish to become a certified pharmacy technician. Many students who complete these programs find great demand and employment immediately after graduation.
Almost every state has pharmacy technician training programs and almost all of them offer good quality education and training facilities. These courses are generally offered in two parts. In the first part, the students get knowledge and skills by attending the courses offered by various colleges and hospitals in their area. On the other hand, the students are provided work experience and are trained for specific pharmacy technician jobs. There are many pharmacy technicians training programs which provide online education to the candidates. This option is quite helpful for those who are busy with their daily life and cannot attend the regular courses.
The second phase of pharmacy technicians programs include hands-on learning and study of various topics such as pharmacology, pharmaceutical calculations, chemistry, biology, physiology, medical coding, nursing and pharmacy administration. During this phase, the students are taught various medications which can be used by the patients and on what conditions they should be on such as allergies. They are also taught about various dosage levels of medications which include common and emergency medications . As part of the coursework, the students learn about the preparation, administration, and dispensation of medications as well as details about the latest drugs in the market.
Another interesting course is Nutritional Support. In this program, the students are given training about managing and monitoring nutritional support for people with various diseases. Some of the courses offered in the department of pharmacy at the undergraduate level are Psychology, Nursing, and Medical Coding. Those who are interested in this career option can choose to get a certificate in Nutritional Support which is associated with a pharmacy degree. After this, they can start their own home care pharmacy business or work as an employee of a drugstore or retail chain.
A number of students also opt for diploma programs in the field of pharmacy. Diploma in Pharmacy is one of these programs and can be obtained by taking up a two-year post graduate diploma course at a school of pharmacy. This is a time-consuming program and students need to pass an exam before becoming certified to work as pharmacists in hospitals, nursing homes and other medical institutions. The Diploma in Pharmacy also enables pharmacists to apply for jobs in drug development, research, education, patient care, pharmaceutical sales, consulting pharmacy and hospital administration. A few universities also offer a Master’s degree in Pharmacy, which enables pharmacists to specialize in specific areas.
